Melos is a project where we are promoting play between blind and non-blind children. Also coined "musical Legos", our toy allows children to physically build music. Our design process deeply involves the input of children, teachers, and families who live with or interact with the blind. Here is our process:
Design for America is an initiative that looks at current problems in the local community and finds ways to address them through design. I work on a team that focused on increasing positive interactions between blind and visually-abled children. We conducted research by visiting Perkins School for the Blind, talking to Providence school administrators and surveying how children play. Our initial design challenge was to increase literacy for blind children. While we were doing user research and interviewing children and teachers, they told us that there was a sigma around them. They felt that they were isolated from society, mainly because people did not know how to interact with them.
As we continued to think about possible ways to create a medium that allowed both blind and non-blind children to enjoy something together, we also observed that many blind children at Perkins enjoyed musics. Our product idea are Melos Sensory Blocks. They each individually play a note or tune. When connected together, they create a melody. The blocks allow children to be creative and play around with sounds. Blocks can be stacked on top of each other to play melodies at the same time. Our initial prototype blocks are made of 3D-printed PLA, so it is easy to mass produce and adjust the design. Speakers and the wiring were embedded inside each block, and circuits can connect to each other through small magnets. They are primarily auditory and tactile; it allows blind children and visually-abled to play with each other. Children can let their imagination run wild!
We then created a second iteration of the blocks. We shrunk the blocks, and fit the hardware inside the toys. We printed the blocks out of SLA plastic, which was much more precise than our the PLA prototypes. Each connector piece had metal rings embedded, allowing for electrical signal to pass from one block to the other. A manual initiation button was also added; in addition to shaking them, users could press the button to start the tune. We tested the blocks with Providence Elementary Schools and Perkins School for the Blind, which received a positive reception. We plan on licensing our products to toy companies to sell to families and schools.
